To Keep Users on an Even Keel, Be Predictable and Adapt Technology to People Rather than Vice Versa, Suggests Usability Psychologist Susan Weinschenk

Machines and software never get angry or feel betrayed, but people do. In setting up a relationship between people and technology, therefore, success comes only when the technology acknowledges and accounts for human needs. So says Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D., who spends her days studying how people interact with products, software, and Web sites.

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To Keep Users on an Even Keel,
Be Predictable and Adapt Technology to People Rather than Vice Versa,
Suggests Usability Psychologist Susan Weinschenk

Edgar, WI - Machines and software never get angry or feel betrayed, but people do. In setting up a relationship between people and technology, therefore, success comes only when the technology acknowledges and accounts for human needs. So says Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D., who spends her days studying how people interact with products, software, and Web sites.

"People don't like surprises. People like to feel in control," notes Weinschenk, who heads the Weinschenk Consulting Group (www.weinschenk.com), and was named as one of the top 100 women in computing by Open Computing Magazine. "When a product requires too many steps to get a task done, people get mad. It seems to care more about its own needs than the user's. When a site turns out to cost money when it appeared to be free, or when a site changes dramatically, without warning, people feel betrayed. They've invested time and maybe even money in the relationship and the technology ignores their feelings and perceptions."

Our relationship with computer technology isn't as intimate as with cars, since cars are tangible, says Weinschenk. "We get into cars, touch them, feel them and regard them as family. When a car acts up, we want to get it fixed, as if it's sick. But when technology goes haywire, we're more likely to get mad and want to replace it right away. If it's something you use a lot and like, you may be more forgiving of its faults. Still, the best way to keep the relationship running smoothly is to design for people, rather than expecting people to adapt themselves to the machines."

With more than a generation of usability experts having studied human
responses to technology, much is known about how people react to devices and computer interfaces of many types. All too rarely is that knowledge put into action, however, says Weinschenk. "We'd rather try to force people to do things the way the machine wants them to do things. People aren't machines and they don't become like machines when you treat them as such. To elicit positive emotions about a device or Web site, the only answer is to consider people first in design."

For more information on the psychology of technology, readers can visit
http://www.weinschenk.com/.